EVENT #12: ADVERSITY 6568654

[expiationmods]

EVENT #12: DO AIS DREAM OF ALGORITHMIC SHEEP?

THE STORY SO FAR (click to expand)

-Over time, characters have discovered that the world of Expiation is actually a large, elaborate simulation run by an AI that seems to be intent on helping them atone for their crimes. This news is well-known by the Chosen, enough so that any new character who wishes to handwave this knowledge is able to do so.

-In September 2024, that AI needed to be reset as a consequence of some catastrophic systems failures. So far, there has been no downside to this reset–but the AI has also been strangely absent since then.

-Things have been quiet in Aldrip since September, aside from the routine arrival of new Chosen. The locals seem less than happy with the Chosen, though, as if they have already branded them all criminals. As if they no longer trust them…

JANUARY 13

SLEEP MODE INITIATED.
LOADING………………….

The calming hush that falls over Aldrip is strangely comfortable, lulling all Chosen into a deep sleep…or a sleeplike state, for those who will. Whatever the case, it is a very quiet night.

The sleep that follows is anything but.

THE DREAMSCAPES

The Chosen dream of memories, in this dreamscape. They can be twisted and altered by the dream world; events can be contorted or made up; but all of these dreams have within them a kernel of truth. Whether they express an event that happened or part of a person’s past that’s gone fuzzy with age, whether it’s a real moment or just a feeling, something about the dream tells you something about the Chosen to whom it belongs. This may even express itself in multiple dreamscapes, fragments of different memories and feelings to navigate.

Fellow Chosen can travel through these dreamscapes, of course, stumbling upon dreams they were never meant to see. But their presence is not without consequence; the longer two Chosen share the same dream, the more the dream will begin to take on elements of both their dreams, drawing in elements from the Chosen who was simply meant to be watching.

They’re vivid, these dreams–the kind that are so clear, one begins to doubt whether it’s a dream at all. Could it possibly be reality? Whether it’s a good dream or a bad one, the Chosen may find it’s difficult to want to wake up. How could they possibly wake up, when this is so very real? Why would they want to, if it’s a good dream? It’s comfortable, and the idea that it may not be reality is intimidating, isn’t it?

It’s so real that you could stay here forever.

A WAKEUP CALL

Wake up.
You have to wake up.

Staying within the dreams too long is a dangerous thing, and those who don’t wake even once before morning will risk falling into a deep sleep, perhaps never to wake at all.

But how to wake them?

Only by convincing the Chosen that they are most certainly dreaming, as it turns out. Whether that’s someone realizing this on their own, or being helped along by someone else, is entirely up to you. But they must choose to wake from the dream, saying goodbye to the dreamscape without any certainty that they’ll ever see it again, and for some…that could be easier said than done.

Once they wake in Aldrip, they’ll be able to come and go from the dreams at will, helping other Chosen navigate their own waking…or perhaps sabotaging it, for those whose intentions may be less than charitable. (But none of you would do that, right? Right?)

Time becomes meaningless within the dreamscapes, allowing the Chosen to pass through as many of these dreams as they wish before dawn breaks in the morning.

The next day dawns as normal, and surprisingly, the Chosen don’t feel any less well-rested from their long and difficult night chasing after dreams. They may even–_

A sea of numbers, zeroes and ones, their combinations meaningless, their forms shifting. Digital artifacts mar the vision, as if the sequence is somehow corrupted. In those pockets of artifacts, one can see something beyond the numbers, something darker, something blurry with distance.
Query: is this what it is to “dream?”
It feels…warm.

_feel refreshed, actually, as if they’ve lifted various weights from their shoulders. Even those who haven’t may find it difficult to linger on the less happy parts of what they’ve seen. They’ve shared quite a unique experience, after all. Better take some time to process it, before they let it weigh them down.

WILDCARD

Make your own fun! Just because it’s not in the prompts doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Have at it! Go crazy! Try not to break anything (too much)!

♡

Comments

[donger]

[ Heimerdinger shakes his head for a moment, as though trying to reset his thoughts. But he acquiesces. Her name is Jinx. Why wouldn't her name be Jinx? If she insists it is Jinx, then Jinx it is! ]

Ah yes, Jinx. And it is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Isha.

[ Jinx's words about 'dreams' and 'lucidity' and 'waking up' sail right over Heimerdinger's head at first. ]

A scam? No, no one is being scammed here. [ He gestures to the small upturned hat on the ground, which some generous Zaunites are placing tips into. ] I do not solicit donations, merely accept them if my audience is grateful enough to give!

[opheliac]

Ugh, not that, I'm talking about this! [and by "this", she spreads her arms wide to gesture their entire surroundings, with isha mimicking the same notion.]

This world you've made up in your oval head isn't real. And you need to wake up before it takes over you or... something. Normally, I wouldn't care to save your butt, but I know you're important to Ekko. And I meant what I said about you being one of us Zaunties. And we don't give up or turn in our own people.

[she drops her arms dead weight at her sides (with isha still with her arms up, looking very determined!!), and cocks her head to the left.]

Soooooooo, wake up already before I make you wake up.

[donger]

[ His heart swells with pride when she describes him as being important to Ekko. Because he knows that Powder is important to Ekko as well.

Wait. No. Not Powder. Jinx...?

Heimerdinger begins to look confused, or even downright concerned. Jinx's words are trying to find purchase in the logical parts of his mind, but the dream is not letting go of him so easily. ]

I'm... sorry, I... I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about.

[ Overhead, the sunny sky of alternate Zaun begins to darken, as green-grey storm clouds roll in from all sides, starting to blot out the sun and plunge the city into its true state of darkness. ]

[opheliac]

[ she frowns deeply over his rebuttal, but it leaves as swiftly as it came when she spots the overcast, her brow quirking with slight puzzlement, but then it only fumes a foul idea in her head. the teenager smirks and pitches a look to the yordle, gradually nodding as if she realizes exactly what needs to be done next. ]

Aaaaah ♪, okay. So that's how this game is played, huh?

[ jinx screws her eyes shut with her hands prop proudly at her waist, almost as if she is taking a quick meditation break, or... waiting for something to happen. but something does transpire after a couple of seconds, as a collectable bunch of toy monkeys grovel their way out the fountain — screeching and banging their cymbals in discord. while this racket is practically music to this deranged individual, isha, on the other hand, shields all the noise by covering her ears as firm as she possibly can.]

[donger]

[ Isha is not the only one covering her ears— but it is easier said than done, in Heimerdinger's case, as his ears are easily twice the size of his tiny hands. He stumbles back, away from Jinx, only to stumble and fall to the ground when he trips over an errant monkey clapping cymbals together without a shred of a care. ]

H-Heavens! What are you doing!? Are you so intent on destroying everything you touch that you've set out to ruin the mood as well!?!?

[ His growing annoyance at Jinx's antics, however, is starting to have its intended effect, making Heimerdinger remember that the scene around them is not as it should be. As if glitching, through either faulty tech or through a temporal hex-anomaly, the sun-touched streets of the alternate Zaun flash out of sight, replaced at first by the hazy, shadowed alleys of the true Zaun, and then again by the strange, snowy corners of Aldrip. Back and forth, the three cities cycle in and out of view as Heimerdinger's mind tries to settle on which scenery it believes to be true. ]

jinx: https://i.postimg.cc/jqfgqfzc/spongeboblaugh.gif

[opheliac]

What?! Sorry!! I can't hear you...! — This song is a real banger!

[ and to behave more despicable, she crackles in a very comedic and goofy manner by saying, "mu ha ha!"s with her arms extending out as far as she possibly can. all in all, it does seem to be working, and hopefully the professor will thank her later for this, despite the mayhem.

the toy monkeys, while chiming away, they begin to stand up and shake their tushie around to their asymmetrical music. one dare decide to hop on top of his heimerdinger's head to be the ring leader of this dance fest. ]

[donger]

A "real banger!?" [ Heimerdinger ducks, brushing off the monkey that attempts to start dancing on top of his head and stumbling back to his feet. ] Nothing about this is "real," you— you...!

[ He stops as the realization hits and everything Jinx has said up until this point clicks into sudden focus. ]

None of this is real. It's made up. It's... a figment of my imagination!

[ The chaotic blend of realities around them speeds up until it is all a blurry mess, one world overlaid onto another, leaving them in a clouded void, a mix of colors— green, blue, white, grey, black— like watercolor paints swirling and mixing together. ]

My dear, you are a genius! I was— I was trapped, in my own subconscious!